Operation Protective Edge

9:30 PM ET July 12. Israel has carried out its first ground operation against Hamas militants in Gaza since launching Operation Protecttive Edge. Commandos raided a rocket site, sustaining casualties: four Israeli soldiers were slightly wounded during an exchange of gunfire with Palestinian fighters.

6:40 PM ET July 12. Some four thousand Palestinians evacuate their homes in the northern Gaza Strip following an IDF warning, taking refuge in UNRWA facilities in the coastal enclave, Israel Radio reports. The Beit Lahiya residents head to six centers in Gaza City, and one in Jabaliya. Earlier, the army dropped leaflets, and sent text messages and voice messages to residents, urging them to depart before noon due to an impending strike. As of 2009, Beit Lahiya had approximately 75,000 residents. -Times of Israel